Walter, an okay daily and an okay offroader

[1991cheyenne]

It does run fine with the stock tune, but I still want to do a tune. Right now it makes more sense to buy one rather than learn how to tune myself. It is way out of my wheelhouse. Any recommendations for a good place would be very helpful. I will learn it at some point, but not right now.

If you dont have the time to learn to tune it yourself (Which is understandable) I would see if Dave w, the owner of oldshoolefi would be willing to make you a custom tune. I have no idea what charges or if he is even still tuning trucks for people.

I don't know much about the store bought tunes for these trucks, but I imagine that they aren't very practical for modified engines. As most of these tunes are a one size fits all that ends up not being fitting anything quite right.

I haven't looked into a store bought tune sense i first bought my truck. But I remember the jet six pack sounded pretty cool. If i remember correctly it has six built-in tunes that you can switch between to find the one that best suits your truck, which sounded the most promising to me for performance. (I haven't looked into these for a couple years so do your own research to be safe)

Again I dont know much about the store bought tunes so do your own research.

 

[1991cheyenne]

With a license plate. It's an acquired taste. I like it a lot.

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Also the license plate body repair is awesome

 

[GXPWeasel]

Sounds like you had some trials and tribulation, but got her figured out.
I was going to mention before that incorrect timing would cause you to run hot as well (too advanced) which may have been part of your problem too.
I'm with you.. breaking in a cam is a little nerve racking. Especially with the reputation these days that many cam manufacturers are getting. Good cam shafts are getting harder to find, and wiping a cam on break in is all too common. Either way, I'm glad you got it figured out though.

 

[cjpett]

I haven't updated in a bit. Walter has been doing well. My friend was able to clean up my terrible welds, so the thing is airtight, except for the flanges. It's just going to be a month of tightening everything up after running the truck.

I've been working on a couple of design projects in my free time, which I will probably post and link when I am ready (hopefully not in 2 years like the radio). The first is a new bezel for the overhead console so that I can stuff a radio in there. I've been using a CB to start, because that's what I have, but I'm in the process of convincing my friends to switch to GMRS, so I'm putting that on pause until I figure out what unit to buy.

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The other one is a replacement for the ****** cupholders on the passenger side. They are useless, so I'm making something more useful. It's my first time making something fluid (idk if that's the right word; it has curves and stuff) in Fusion, which has been a very fun (and not at all frustrating) challenge. My current design is better looking housing for the inclometer and another mystery gauge, as well as an additional dash pocket. I might change the dash pocket later to a power hub with a cigarette lighter, USB, and 120V sometime later.

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One thing I've noticed while driving the truck more is the transmission slipping, usually around 1500-1700 rpm. I know 4L60's crap out pretty quick, and I'm guessing between 160k rough miles and a new cam it's just ready to die. So, I have 2 options. The first is to repair and rebuild what I have. This is the cheapest and easiest way to go about it, and I keep that nice crawly 1st gear, but I'm stuck going up mountians with a transmission that was meant for a Caprice. The other is to find and swap a 4L80. I know that somewhere in the pick-n-pull there's a 25 or 3500 that has one ready to go, and with a rebuild I can have a much better transmission, but I also know that it's a lot more in depth, but I'm not sure how much more in depth it is. I don't even know if I can do the swap because Walter is a 95, which had the first year PWM.

Basically what I am saying is need advice. Walter needs to go a thousand miles on dirt roads and offroad trails at the end of summer, and is slowly becoming a dedicated offroader. Do I spend more time and money to switch to the 4L80, or do I stick with what I have.

That's all for now, I'll update as I go. I have to rotate tires now. Yay! (I hate tires).

 

[cjpett]

I was able to go to the junkyard with my Dad today and was able to find a '99 4L80E 4WD with 230k. We didn't pull it; it was more of a scouting mission. But I know it's there. This means it's decision time. In my eyes, I have 3 options:

1. Buy/build a reman 4L60e. This would probably be the most affordable option, I don't need to mess with the transfer case, driveshaft, or any of that. I would be able to keep the 3.059 1st gear, which is nice. It isn't without its cons, though. It'll be difficult to find a 1995 rebuild, so I'd probably buy a core and rebuild that (I want to keep the current one in the truck so I can keep driving it). As great as a reman or rebuild might be, it's still a 4L60E, and I just don't know how long it will last as the trails get longer and the hills get higher. But everyone talks about the failures, and no one talks about the successes. Hell, it took a 160k, a new cam, and about a dozen trails to kill the one that's in the truck, and it still isn't dead yet, just dying.

2. Buy the junkyard 4L80e and all the stuff that comes with it. This is the option I am leaning towards. I can get almost everything I need from the same truck. I get a stronger transmission overall, and I can upgrade my transfer case while I'm at it. Once again, there are cons. I have to pull a heavy transmission out of a random truck at the junkyard. It has 230k miles on it. I have no idea what condition it's in, I don't know the history, and I don't even know if it's complete (It should be; the inspection cover was loose, but I think someone was grabbing the starter). I would still have to rebuild the thing, I would have to shorten the driveshaft, get a new computer, and everything else along that.

3. Buy a reman'd 4L80e. Same deal as the junkyard option, but the time I save pulling it and rebuilding it is traded for money. I also get some assurance knowing that the guy who built it knows what he's doing, and if they didn't, I could warranty it out and get a replacement. The downside, other than the price, is that I would still have to go through the process of shortening the driveshaft, buying a transfercase or swapping the input shaft, and getting a computer to run it all. I also wouldn't know how to rebuild a transmission, but that's not a huge deal.

Doing the math on all this (and adding a 30% dumbass tax) and the results are as follows:
1. 4L60E:
a. Building: ~$1100. Core, rebuild, dumbass tax
b. Buying: ~$1500-1850. Transmission, 95 stuff, dumbass tax
2. 4L80E:
a. Junkyard: ~$1400. The transmission and transfer case are about $300. A good rebuild is around $5-600. Driveshaft work is about $200, dumbass tax
b. Buying: I'm gonna be honest, I can't find one for under 2k. That, plus the extra 2-300 for driveshaft shortening, and everything else honestly pushes this beyond my price range.

Any help on figuring this out would be awesome. Maybe the famous @NickTransmissions will come in here with a perfect solution so I can stop stressing out about this.

Oh yeah, I couldn't rotate the tires because my friend has crazy monkey strength so I have to wait for him so he can un-monkey strength the lug nuts.

 

[cjpett]

Okay, after much deliberation, I've decided to go with a 4L60e. As much as I would love to get an 80 in there, it's just gonna take too long and end up being too pricey. Now, the hard part is finding one that will work. I would ideally like to find a 95; that way, I don't have to dig into a brand-new transmission with no knowledge of how transmissions work.

Here are the ones I'm debating between:

4L60E 1995 2WD TRANSMISSION 5.7L 5.0L 4.3L | Shift Rite Transmissions

Discover our remanufactured transmissions expertly crafted to exceed OEM standards with top-notch components like Borg Warner & Raybestos. Quality guaranteed!

shiftritetransmissions.com

https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/603540/10002/-1

The shiftrite is in the lead right now. For about $1700 (+$400 core), I get a reman'd 4L60E that has parts from companies I recognize, and it's made for '95. I also get a one year warranty.

The Jegs one also seems good, but I can't find much info on it. I'm gonna call both companies tomorrow and see what's up.

Walter also got a new battery! It's a side post and a top post. The old one went in the work truck, and the work truck one went in the AutoZone.

Once I get the transmission ordered, I can kinda relax a bit on focus on less stressful things.

 

[cjpett]

After phone calls to both Jegs and Shiftrite, I decided on Shiftrite. The guy on the other end of the line seemed to know his stuff, and I have more faith in a company that only does transmission than a company that does everything. The guy managed to talk me into a stage one build, which I probably don't need, but I figure it'd be better to go overkill now, and then if I put on bigger tires, or do more engine stuff, or whatever, I'll be better equipped.

I'm also in the final stages of that dash insert that I talked about a couple of posts ago. I sent the final files to PCBWay, and I am waiting for them to review them. Once it's all set, I will make a separate thread and release the files. I might charge for the files on this one; it was a few days' worth of pain, and between you, me, and the whole internet, this project truck thing costs a lot of money.

I finally ordered a Lund Sunvisor. I have been wanting one of these things since my very first post in this thread and I finally decided that while I'm blowing all the money I have I might as well. It seems to be in good shape, with a little bit of autoparts store paint it should be good enough to chuck on the truck.

All of that leads me to now. I don't have much to do on the truck until stuff arrives, so I've just been doing dumb stuff. Today I pulled the plastic truck bed protector off and laid down one very crappy coat of bedliner. It doesn't even cover the whole bed, but I don't care because the plastic will go back on anyway. It's more to protect what's already come off and hopefully protect what will come off in the future. I did fully cover the tailgate, though, as that's what I see the most.

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The reason I took the bed protector off was to recover the many drywall screws that I have lost while mounting the toolbox. and so I can find a much more secure way to mount the toolbox and headache rack. I'll likely end up carving some holes in the protector and use something similar to a C-clamp, but I'm not too sure.

I also finally blasted the roof with some paint.

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Is it perfect? Hell no. I used the close-enough method when picking my paint, did no prep work, and ran out way too fast. Do I care? Hell no. It looks way better than it did, and the paint will stick fine. I have no one to impress but myself, and I have very low standards. Most of it will be covered by the sunvisor anyway.

Walter has the paint curse, and the cure is stripping and repainting, which I will never do. I want to bash up hills, and if I spend 2 grand on a paint job, then I won't want to bash up hills anymore. So I will keep using $20 spray paint and 0 prep.

That's all I got, I'll probably update when the sunvisor comes in, or when the dash insert is made, or when the transmission comes in, whatever comes first.

 

[Thatlowchevy]

I have no one to impress but myself, and I have very low standards.

I swear I’ve said that before in a bar or something

 

[454C2500Longbed]

I was able to go to the junkyard with my Dad today and was able to find a '99 4L80E 4WD with 230k. We didn't pull it; it was more of a scouting mission. But I know it's there. This means it's decision time. In my eyes, I have 3 options:

1. Buy/build a reman 4L60e. This would probably be the most affordable option, I don't need to mess with the transfer case, driveshaft, or any of that. I would be able to keep the 3.059 1st gear, which is nice. It isn't without its cons, though. It'll be difficult to find a 1995 rebuild, so I'd probably buy a core and rebuild that (I want to keep the current one in the truck so I can keep driving it). As great as a reman or rebuild might be, it's still a 4L60E, and I just don't know how long it will last as the trails get longer and the hills get higher. But everyone talks about the failures, and no one talks about the successes. Hell, it took a 160k, a new cam, and about a dozen trails to kill the one that's in the truck, and it still isn't dead yet, just dying.

2. Buy the junkyard 4L80e and all the stuff that comes with it. This is the option I am leaning towards. I can get almost everything I need from the same truck. I get a stronger transmission overall, and I can upgrade my transfer case while I'm at it. Once again, there are cons. I have to pull a heavy transmission out of a random truck at the junkyard. It has 230k miles on it. I have no idea what condition it's in, I don't know the history, and I don't even know if it's complete (It should be; the inspection cover was loose, but I think someone was grabbing the starter). I would still have to rebuild the thing, I would have to shorten the driveshaft, get a new computer, and everything else along that.

3. Buy a reman'd 4L80e. Same deal as the junkyard option, but the time I save pulling it and rebuilding it is traded for money. I also get some assurance knowing that the guy who built it knows what he's doing, and if they didn't, I could warranty it out and get a replacement. The downside, other than the price, is that I would still have to go through the process of shortening the driveshaft, buying a transfercase or swapping the input shaft, and getting a computer to run it all. I also wouldn't know how to rebuild a transmission, but that's not a huge deal.

Doing the math on all this (and adding a 30% dumbass tax) and the results are as follows:
1. 4L60E:
a. Building: ~$1100. Core, rebuild, dumbass tax
b. Buying: ~$1500-1850. Transmission, 95 stuff, dumbass tax
2. 4L80E:
a. Junkyard: ~$1400. The transmission and transfer case are about $300. A good rebuild is around $5-600. Driveshaft work is about $200, dumbass tax
b. Buying: I'm gonna be honest, I can't find one for under 2k. That, plus the extra 2-300 for driveshaft shortening, and everything else honestly pushes this beyond my price range.

Any help on figuring this out would be awesome. Maybe the famous @NickTransmissions will come in here with a perfect solution so I can stop stressing out about this.

Oh yeah, I couldn't rotate the tires because my friend has crazy monkey strength so I have to wait for him so he can un-monkey strength the lug nuts.

Shame you're so dang far away, I've got a perfectly good 95 4L80 that's supposed to go in my 97. Shouldn't be hard to make it work, but I'm sure I could find a good 97 too. Anyhoo, keep checking the yards and take a measuring stick with you, if you can find one with the short transfer case adapter you might not have to get your driveshaft shortened. My 4L80 setup is only 1 inch longer overall than my 4L60 setup, and some extra room on my driveshaft slip yoke, so I'm skating by without having driveshaft work done. Also need a front driveshaft from a K2500, bout $160 on RockAuto.

Oh, whoops. I see that you've ordered a 4L60. Hopefully this helps someone though.

 

[Road Trip]

We were able to extend the wires for the O2 sensor as well and got that installed finally, and my Dad fixed the rusty front fender. With a license plate. It's an acquired taste. I like it a lot.

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Normally I favor the stock vs modified look. Don't know if it's nostalgia, or the mod doesn't honor the timeless design lines, etc.

But that license plate repair is super cool. If I pulled up next to you, I would point at it & give you a thumbs up.
For this actually reminds me of a favorite DD that started off as a bit of a Flintstonemobile & failed a VT safety inspection for this.
And the garage owner was really insistent on this, even though the interior carpet was still 100% intact and you couldn't tell there was missing metal underneath?
And although I had the wherewithal & requisite skills to fix this really right (and normally I would have done so) there was something about the garage dude's attitude
(my way or no highway) that just set my jaw. Projecting what he experienced at a bad DMV visit? Or honing his skills for a future HOA inspector gig? WTF?

So I made absolutely sure about what it would take to pass inspection when I returned. I can still feel the unnecessary smugness and looking down his nose in his response. :0)

So I went home, pulled the interior, picked a retired VT license plate, buffed it to a high shine, & riveted it in as close to aerospace quality as I could muster in my garage.
Complete with a careful tiger hair gasketing for good measure. And the plate was face side down. Even used masking tape during the Tiger hairing/riveting to get clean lines.

Inside, I cleaned up the floorpan, slathered epoxy over everything, and even deep cleaned the carpet & everything else going back in.
The cockpit view was worn in but showroom sharp.
(His justification for failing my new DD was 'exhaust fumes in the interior', and this was non-negotiable.)

Gave the entire car a senseless buffing and turned it into a 20 footer.
And I returned.
And he look surprised. (I think he sized me up per my facade at the time, which was computer system support engineer, & figured I would choose the easy answer and junk it.)
But since the car was a new (to me) DD candidate that wasn't happening. It was a good machine, safe, mechanically ready, just needed that VT inspection sticker.

He gets in the car, felt the carpet where the hole used to be, and proceeds to drive it on his lift.
And when he sees the fix, it's like I had rattle-canned a great big finger in neon paint in his general direction.
He was trying to act cool, but there was no mistaking his displeasure. And he micro-inspected the fix. Which I anticipated, and ensured functional perfection w/max visual effyoo.
I still remember the moment, a quiet battle of wills in a 1-man garage that was the only game around in rural middle Vermont.
So as not to jinx the application of the mandatory inspection sticker, I had my very best poker face on, with a small side of innocent vehicle-illiterate mixed in.
He didn't ask me who did this. But he did ask me what I did for a living.
And I honestly replied that I taught Field Service guys how to fix a big VAX being built in Burlington. And was a weekend warrior fixing F-16s at the nearby airport.
He didn't say anything in response.
Got the sticker, and the fix outlasted the rest of the car. (~ 4 years of DD service.)

****

And the above is *exactly* what I remembered vividly when I saw your license plate repair. Be sure to tell Dad that he absolutely nailed the fix.
And he made an old dude in upstate NY very happy with his solution.
Wish I had a picture of that long ago license plate fix. (But I added a pic of another 'finite budget backed into a corner moment'. See attached.)
But this was in the early days of going from zero to twins in the home.
Rolls of film (& processing) didn't fit into the daily budget. (Think disposable cameras {remember those?} on birthdays & holidays. :0)

But I'd like to thank you for bringing back a fun interaction that I haven't thought about in literally years.
Sometimes it's the smallest victories that put the wind into your sails.

I would absolutely drive your rig with a sheet eating grin behind the wheel.